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03-21-2009, 15:20

I have been following the Battery thread for a while...
One question that I have, and probably should know the answer to, is what
difference does the battery physical size make??
One would assume that the larger a battery is, the longer it will take to
discharge....
Jack Smith
1973FC31
SoCal.

03-22-2009, 07:31

Yes
Longer to charge and discharge
there is tons of stuff on the web about batteries but here is some DC theory for you
http://www.hobbyprojects.com/dc_theory.html#dc_theory
Gary

--- On Sat, 3/21/09, Jack & Donna Smith wrote:

From: Jack & Donna Smith
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Battery Question
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2009, 10:20 PM

I have been following the Battery thread for a while...

One question that I have, and probably should know the answer to, is what difference does the battery physical size make??

One would assume that the larger a battery is, the longer it will take to discharge... .

Jack Smith

1973FC31

SoCal.

03-22-2009, 10:48

In general, the larger the battery, the larger the amp-hour capacity is likely to be. Take a look at Trojan 105, 125, and 135 models. They share approximately the same 'footprint' (width x depth), but as capacity goes up, the height increases.

Of course, the ultimate limitation is what fits your space. Batteries are classed by "type" which is roughly based on amp-hours or CCA ratings -- but more importantly on the measurements of the batteries. For example, if my car takes a type 35 battery, I can generally safely select any brand that claims to be that type and it should fit the space available.

The downside is that some batteries may not comply with the standard measurements. When I purchased replacement house batteries (type 4-D), the replacements were about 1/2" wider than the existing batteries and they would not fit the battery trays nor would the hold-down clamps work without modification. Fortunately, I was able to line up a friend with a welder who was able to use some scraps of metal to enlarge the trays and hold-down clamps.

I was rather surprised by thatoccurrence, however.

Pete Masterson

'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42

El Sobrante CA

"aeonix1@mac.com"

On Mar 21, 2009, at 7:20 PM, Jack & Donna Smith wrote:

I have been following the Battery thread for a while...
One question that I have, and probably should know the answer to, is what difference does the battery physical size make??
One would assume that the larger a battery is, the longer it will take to discharge....
Jack Smith
1973FC31
SoCal.

06-28-2009, 15:12

So, my batteries (according to the previous owner) are only about two years old
and they've been working fine. The other day I turned it off to register at an
RV park and it wouldn't turn over at all. So, I had to start the generator to
get enough power to turn it over. And, as long as we remain hooked to AC we
have no trouble turning over.

So, is this a battery issue or a charger issue?

Jerry
85 PT40

06-28-2009, 23:56

Jerry,
Could be as simple as loose battery cables. In your routine (at least monthly)
battery maintenance of checking the water levels in the batteries, check the
battery cables for looseness and corrosion. Also check the other ends of the
battery cables, in particular, the ground cable, as a poor ground connection
could be the cause. If suspicious, remove the connection, clean any dirt/grime.
Wirebrush both the cable end and the frame surface it attaches to, and
re-install, using a inward facing star washer between the cable and the frame.
Gary
SOB
--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "jburgessx2" wrote:
>
> So, my batteries (according to the previous owner) are only about two years
old and they've been working fine. The other day I turned it off to register at
an RV park and it wouldn't turn over at all. So, I had to start the generator
to get enough power to turn it over. And, as long as we remain hooked to AC we
have no trouble turning over.
>
> So, is this a battery issue or a charger issue?
>
> Jerry
> 85 PT40
>

06-29-2009, 05:09

Jerry,

You may just have a connection problem at the batteries. I had a similar problem and after cleaning the battery terminals it has not reoccurred. Terminal cleaning is now part of my regular maintenance.

- Chuck Wheeler-

1982 FC 31SB Fort Worth TX

From: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com [mailto:WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of jburgessx2
Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2009 10:13 PM
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Battery question

So, my batteries (according to the previous owner) are only about two years old and they've been working fine. The other day I turned it off to register at an RV park and it wouldn't turn over at all. So, I had to start the generator to get enough power to turn it over. And, as long as we remain hooked to AC we have no trouble turning over.

So, is this a battery issue or a charger issue?

Jerry
85 PT40

06-29-2009, 05:47

Could be both. The chargers are probably the OEM units -- notorious for overcharging and boiling away the water. The batteries can be easily damaged if mistreated. See the "new batteries" thread.

Pete Masterson

'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42

El Sobrante CA

"aeonix1@mac.com"

On Jun 28, 2009, at 8:12 PM, jburgessx2 wrote:

So, my batteries (according to the previous owner) are only about two years old and they've been working fine. The other day I turned it off to register at an RV park and it wouldn't turn over at all. So, I had to start the generator to get enough power to turn it over. And, as long as we remain hooked to AC we have no trouble turning over.

So, is this a battery issue or a charger issue?

Jerry
85 PT40

06-29-2009, 06:06

I didn't see anybody else suggest it, but it sounds like you may have an
alternator problem. If it will start after being plugged in it sounds like the
chargers and batteries must be OK - there is no way that you can get enough
power from the plugin/chargers by themselves to start a Detroit, and the
batteries wouldn't do anything if they weren't charging. After a run down the
road the chargers aren't in play, but the alternator is/are.

On 6/29/2009 at 10:47 AM Pete Masterson wrote:

>Could be both. The chargers are probably the OEM units -- notorious
>for overcharging and boiling away the water. The batteries can be
>easily damaged if mistreated. See the "new batteries" thread.
>
>Pete Masterson
>'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42
>El Sobrante CA
>aeonix1@...
>
>
>
>On Jun 28, 2009, at 8:12 PM, jburgessx2 wrote:
>
>> So, my batteries (according to the previous owner) are only about
>> two years old and they've been working fine. The other day I turned
>> it off to register at an RV park and it wouldn't turn over at all.
>> So, I had to start the generator to get enough power to turn it
>> over. And, as long as we remain hooked to AC we have no trouble
>> turning over.
>>
>> So, is this a battery issue or a charger issue?
>>
>> Jerry
>> 85 PT40